Egg Protein

Boiled egg. By Ramesh NG [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia CommonsEgg protein is usually isolated from egg whites. Although it is not associated with any unique benefits, egg protein maintains a reputation as a high-quality, easy-to-digest protein source.

Overview

Egg protein is derived from egg white (also known as albumin) and yolk found in the eggs of chickens and other animals. A large chicken egg contains about 6.3 grams of protein, 57% of which is found in the egg white and 43% in the yolk.12

Eggs are considered one of the best sources of protein because of their ease of digestion and excellent amino acid profile, which includes all nine essential amino acids. Moreover, egg protein contains the second-highest concentrations of the branched-chain amino acid leucine after the dairy proteins.3 Leucine is known to be particularly important for building muscle given its unique ability to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

Thanks to these qualities, egg protein powder has become a popular option for supplementing resistance training.

Eggs rank the highest in three of four widely-accepted measures of protein quality: biological value, protein efficiency ratio, net protein utilization, and Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). The only protein with a higher biological value is whey (104).4

Eggs are are of the most nutritious foods in the world. Image by ACWG licensed under CC0 1.0

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Egg Protein’s Reputation

Egg protein is widely regarded as a high-quality source of protein. Unlike most sources of supplemental protein, egg protein not associated with any unique benefits; however, it’s still popular with athletes undergoing resistance training because of its balanced amino acid profile, good digestibility, and high leucine levels. Egg protein supplements are also known for containing little to no fat, which may be an attractive benefit to some people.

Moreover, egg protein is a good option for individuals with sensitivity to dairy or soy, since egg allergies are relatively rare and mostly restricted to children.5

When nutritionists devised the biological value metric to rate how efficiently the body uses protein from a specific food, egg protein was given a perfect score of 100 and used as a benchmark for other protein sources.

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Research

Studies on isolated egg protein are relatively rare, because eggs are considered to be one of the most nutritional foods and are thus far more popular in their whole form. Nonetheless, preliminary research suggests that specific proteins and peptides present in egg protein can have beneficial biological activities in their intact form or after being broken down during digestion, including antibacterial, antihypertensive, antioxidant, and antidiabetic actions. However, most of this research is currently restricted to isolated compounds and cultures, and it’s not clear whether these effects translate to whole egg protein.6